Police: Couple left infant in cold car while shopping at adult store

26-year-old mother Lindsay M. Hoffmann, and her friend 54-year-old Marquette Riggsbee are charged with risk of injury to a minor and leaving a child unsupervised. They allegedly left an infant in a car to shop at an adult store By KMOV.com Staff

SOUTHINGTON, CT (WFSB) - A couple was arrested after they left a 2-week-old baby boy in their car for more than 20 minutes in an adult store parking lot in Southington on Wednesday morning.

According to police, 26-year-old mother Lindsay M. Hoffmann, of Waterbury, and her friend 54-year-old Marquette Riggsbee, of New Haven, entered the VIP, which is located at 228 Queen St., around 11 a.m.

The staff told Riggsbee and Hoffman that the child could not be in the store with the child and the couple left.

A short time later, they entered the VIP again without the child. The employees saw the child in the vehicle with no one else inside.

The employee raced outside to check on the baby and immediately called police.

VIP's district manager said Hoffman and Riggsbee continued shopping despite knowing police were on their way.

When police arrived, officers said the vehicle was not running and the temperatures were below freezing. Police said it was 29 degrees outside at the time.

"He was not dressed for winter. He was just in a normal onesie, no hat, hands exposed," VIP District Manager Tina Marchese said. "It really affected us because we are all mothers so it was a really sad thing for the baby."

When police arrived, the baby's internal temperature was OK, but his hands and feet were extremely cold.

The infant was examined by the ambulance staff and then taken to a local hospital for evaluation, police said.

“The infant's core temperature was found to be adequate, but it did have cold extremities,” police said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Heartless. That's cruel, how could anyone do that," said Janelle Lizotte, of Plainville. "I can't even imagine. I wouldn't even think of doing that."

Hoffmann and Riggsbee were charged with risk of injury to a minor and leaving a child unsupervised. They are being held on a $25,000 bond.

The baby is doing OK and is being taken care of by the Department of Children and Families, which has started an investigation.

Eyewitness News looked into the criminal history of the pair and found that Hoffman was convicted of prostitution in 2013. Riggsbee was convicted of resisting arrest in that same year.